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Third Person POV
The group set up camp in a relatively safe area. Shane and RJ, of course, decided that they'd scope out the area to make sure there weren't any of those freaks creeping around anywhere, or worse, people.
If anybody knew how dangerous people could be—especially in a crisis—it was RJ.
"You take the East, I'll take the West." Shane pointed to each direction with his hand while the other held his shotgun.
RJ had her Beretta in her hands, aimed at the ground as she nodded her head, confirming that She understood. "You see anything, need any help, just holler, ya hear?"
Again, she nodded silently. Shane sent her a quick nod before they both headed off in their separate directions.
They had already cleared the visible parts of the camp, but they just needed to scope out the woods.
The soldier's feet carried her through the woods soundlessly. Fall had just begun, so there weren't many leaves to crunch, sadly. Years of sneaking and creeping around the enemy had taught her how to silently live, even in the loudest of shoes, clothes, and/or company.
It was fairly hot outside but compared to the Texas record-breaking heat, the Georgia heat (although still hot) was bearable.
She wore a tan-ish green tank, her BDU pants, combat boots, and of course, her tactical belt.
"Christ.." She mumbled as the cool wind blew her long hair into her face.
No matter how many times she moved it, her annoying hair kept getting in her face.
The woman did a quick scan of the area before putting her Beretta into her belt and climbing up the nearest stable tree. She would've rather not been blindsided by an attacker. Dead or alive.
Her hands gripped onto each branch with quick and precise movements. Her eyes watched both of her hands and feet as she quickly scaled up the rough tree.
As soon as she found the thickest branch, she brought her left leg up and around the thick bark, straddling it. She let out a few tired huffs before quickly bringing her hair up into her hands, and quickly tying the hair tie around it, giving herself a high ponytail.
"There, now shut up." She thought to herself, still frustrated from her hair's past actions.
She was about to start climbing down the tree when she heard the sound of a twig breaking, followed by the sound of distant speaking. She froze, gripping tightly onto the bark, waiting for whoever was headed for her to pass. They were headed towards camp, but she wouldn't allow them to get very far.
She listened as the single voice got louder but there were two pairs of footsteps that she could hear.
Though something about the obnoxiously loud voice was...familiar.
Two men neared the bottom of her tree, and she watched the two suspiciously. The loud one speaking was taller and balder. Everything about the loud man was familiar, and when she realized who the redneck prick was, a sigh nearly escaped her lips as she rolled her eyes.
Never in RJ's life did she think that she'd ever heard that voice again.
She waited for them to pass before she began to quickly climb down the tree.
Again, everything about her movements was quick and silent.
As soon as her feet hit the ground she drew her piece, aiming it at the man she didn't know. The unfamiliar man paused, he could feel someone's eyes, but the older man continued yapping, unaware of the familiar face aiming a gun at his brother.
"Howdy,"
"Fun-sized?"
"Dixon." She nodded before her eyes turned towards the younger man holding a crossbow. Merle had never talked about his brother to anyone but her and a few other soldiers, all times he had been drunk, spewing out his feelings like projectile vomit. The resemblance between the two was there, so out of respect for the older ex-marine, she lowered her piece, aiming it at the dirt.
"Wow." Merle laughed loudly. The last time he'd seen her (which was years ago) she was a scrawny little thing. She wasn't scared of anything, and for a while, he thought she was mute, but what he loved most about her was her inability to stand for his shit. "Grimes, this is my baby brother. Daryl, this is Mutey."
The amount of hatred that RJ had for the stupid nickname was heavier than an elephant's left buttcheek. A glare made its way onto her face as her ears rang from the eldest Dixon's laughter.
"Where were ya hidin'?" The youngest Dixon had his eyes roaming over every inch of the forest, and not once did he see the woman dressed in a marines uniform.
RJ's eyes looked up to the thick branch she was on before jerking her head towards it. Both of the men looked up, realizing that neither of them thought of people hiding in the trees.
"Sure are as quiet as I remember," Merle said while placing his hands on his hips. "You out here alone?"
RJ couldn't leave the man who stood up for her many times against the sexist and inappropriate men in the military. Though she had no idea that the reason Merle had been so protective of her, was because she reminded him so much of his baby brother.
He'd never met a girl as tough as her, hell she broke the wrist of one of his fellow soldiers that tried to grab her ass. It was a very amusing day—for Merle at least.
"Gotta check the perimeter, then I'll take you back." The woman said before beginning to turn on her heels to head the way that the Dixon brothers came from.
"That's it? Just like that you're gonna take us back to where yer stayin'?" Daryl asked skeptically. His eyes were glaring suspiciously at the woman as she stopped and looked towards him, only for him to receive a single nod.
Daryl had heard about Mutey before when Merle came home from prison the last time. He was kicked out of the marines because he punched a sergeant, but besides that, Daryl had heard tales of a girl tougher than hail, a girl who put many men in their places by a simple look, a girl who would fight men twice her size for fun.
The Dixon brothers followed behind RJ as her eyes scanned the trees along with the floor, looking for any tracks just in case.
It took another fifteen minutes before they headed back for camp, and Merle had yet to shut his mouth.
"And Fun Sized here grabbed my beer, said "since you're so thirsty.." and broke the bottle straight across that pussy's face!" Merle cackled at the memory, while Daryl raised an amused eyebrow at the woman two feet ahead of them, ignoring every word that Merle had been speaking.
"Hey, Mutey!" Merle called, getting RJ's attention. "Where you set up anyway?"
RJ pointed towards the direction they were headed. "Got a camp. My family's there, and a few survivors from the highway to Atlanta."
"Well, we got a truck bout two miles back." The older Dixon said, pointing his thumb back towards that direction that they'd come from.
RJ's eyes moved from the Dixon's towards the direction he pointed in.
She didn't know these parts too well, but no matter where she was, she knew the forest, she knew nature. They stopped walking as the woman's wheels began to turn.
"Lead the way." She knew that Shane and everyone would get worried, which could be a hazard, but Shane too swore to protect Lori and Carl, and because of that she knew that he wouldn't allow them to do anything stupid. At least not without a plan.
Daryl wasn't so sure as to why this woman was so trusting. In fact, he found it dumb. He knew that she knew his brother from way back, but what he didn't know was how many times they'd had each other's backs for the time that they were stationed in the same area.
Merle didn't get kicked out of the marines until RJ had been moved, and that was when his actions became dangerous and stupid because he didn't have that silent girl to hold him back from doing what he always did; fuck shit up.
The Dixon brothers led RJ through the woods, and of course, Merle couldn't keep his mouth shut. Daryl would grin and shake his head every now and then, or he'd just be flat out annoyed/offended by what Merle would say about him.
RJ simply walked, all of her senses on high alert. Of course, she listened to Merle's yapping, she always listened when people spoke, no matter how annoying they were, but she was also very good at tuning people out when she needed to.
Once they finally reached the truck, RJ could see the motorcycle in the bed of the truck, she also noticed how the truck was a three-seater. She would've ridden in the bed of the truck, but there was a whole other motor vehicle occupying that space.
"C'mon, Mutey, Darylina don't bite." Merle managed to earn a scowl from both of his quiet companions, causing him to let out a cackle as he opened up the driver-side door.
Considering how small RJ was compared to them, both in height and weight, it made it easier for them to all squeeze inside of the truck. They weren't like a pack of sardines, more like a pack of crayons that was missing a few.
Daryl sat in the middle, knowing how uncomfortable it would've been for RJ to be between both men. Plus she'd need to get out first to introduce them to her group, though he wasn't sure how that would go considering she had spoken all of five times, and two of those times were only a single word.
"You still with them crayon eatin' bastards?" Merle asked as the truck began its journey towards RJ's camp.
"Was. Lost contact a week ago. I was on emergency leave when everything hit." RJ was staring out ahead, remembering each twist and turn that lead back to camp.
Her tone was so monotonous, Daryl wasn't sure if it was her normal voice or if she was just bored of the whole situation entirely, and if that were the case, then that made two of them.
Merle let out a snort. "Yeah, figures everything'd go to shit after you left."
A small smile made its way onto RJ's face as she shook her head. He said the same thing to her in his letter when he told her he'd been un-honorably discharged after punching a sergeant in the face, though he never told her why.
"That was all you, Dixon." She remarked, catching Daryl by surprise. He hadn't expected the small smile on her face when he looked over, but upon seeing it, he immediately turned his head back towards the dirt road.
"Yeah.." Merle drawled out as he began to chuckle at the memory of him punching the sergeant who'd said some...inappropriate words about the woman he considered his "favorite mute".
Eventually, the trio drove up the path to the camp. Considering RJ hadn't been back in about an hour, the state of the camp had improved. The RV was parked and set up, the tents were all pitched, and they even began making a spot for a fire for the night that wouldn't be coming for a while.
As the loud truck made its way closer to camp, they saw men coming forward, all having some sort of weapon. When the car parked, the men visibly relaxed upon seeing RJ in the passenger seat. Shane was still worried about the strangers. He trusted RJ's intuition, but you could never be too careful.
RJ opened the truck door and gave the Dixon brothers a look, telling them to stay out until she told them to come out. Daryl was once again taken by surprise when Merle simply nodded his head and followed orders. It was very out of character for his brother to do what others told him to. He normally moved to the beat of his own drum, no matter how out of rhythm the beat was.
The soldier slammed the door shut as she walked towards the group. Shane let out a relieved sigh to see her completely unscathed before meeting her halfway and engulfing her in a bear hug.
"Jesus, RJ. Had us all worried sick." He spoke with one arm wrapped around her, and one hand gripping onto the back of her head. He was scared to let go, for he really had thought that she was gone, but he was grateful that she wasn't.
He was about to go looking for her, he wouldn't have been able to live with himself had he lost both of his best friends. Both were like the siblings he never had, and his mental health wouldn't have been able to handle losing both of them and having to tell Carl.
As if on queue, a small voice yelled, "RJ!" Followed by the quick pounding footsteps headed towards them.
Shane let go of RJ, turning to see Carl barreling towards them with his arms stretched. RJ smiled as she squatted down to wrap him into a hug. The young boy was incredibly worried when Shane came back and his aunt didn't. He wasn't sure if he could stay strong for his mom if he lost both his dad and his best friend all in the span of a few days.
"Hey, Bud," RJ said as he gripped tightly onto her nephew.
"I thought you were gone too," Carl mumbled.
"I'd never leave you. You know that right?" She pulled back, holding onto his shoulders as she looked him in the eyes. A big smile made its way onto Carl's face as he nodded his head. "Good. Go back to your mom, I gotta talk to Shane." Once again the little boy nodded his head before running back to his mom so he could finish helping her set up the inside of their tent.
RJ stood up to face Shane who was already watching the whole interaction. The others watched her, slightly shocked as this was their first time ever hearing her speak, before turning their attention back to the two strangers in the Ford truck in front of them.
"Who are they?" Glenn asked from where he stood. Shane turned to RJ with a raised eyebrow. The woman took a quick look around to make sure no one had their weapons out before turning towards the Dixon's and jerking her head for them to come out.
As the men came out, Shane watched their every move. He didn't trust them. Not one bit. But if RJ trusted them, then they had to be some kind of good. Shane knew that RJ would never purposely put her family in danger, ever.
"Merle and Daryl Dixon," RJ said as she pointed to the two men.
"You just...brought some strangers back?" Dale asked curiously towards the woman. He didn't mean any disrespect, he was just concerned about how trustworthy these rugged-looking men were.
"Oh please," Merle laughed. "Mutey and I ain't strangers." He snorted.
Shane shifted his gaze from the Dixon's over to RJ. He'd never heard her speak of anybody, especially not some redneck guy. His eyebrow raised in what RJ recognized as "the cop brow" which both Shane and Rick would give her from time to time.
"Met him when I was still stationed in Georgia. Worst marine I ever met." Her eyes glanced over to him jokingly while he sent her the bird and giggled like a child.
Shane nodded his head slowly. He could see where Merle could've been a marine, but he still wasn't sure about the quiet one—Daryl. He eyed the two carefully. He didn't mean to doubt RJ, but in these crazy times, he didn't want people coming in camp because they were good people once upon a time.
"Relax Deputy Dickhead," RJ joked as she slapped Shane's back. His eyes turned to her with a glare from the nickname given to him when he became a cop. "Merle's had my back more times than I can count, and if they do something stupid they'll be held accountable by me personally." She said in a hushed voice so the others couldn't hear, which they didn't.
RJ was talented in the language of silence, a known fact by everyone who meets her.
Finally, Shane nodded his head before jerking his head towards camp. "You can park your truck behind the last car." He said as he pointed towards the line of cars.
Daryl walked back to the truck with the keys in hand so he could park the truck. He wasn't sure what his brother's plans were, because nine times out of ten, they weren't entirely pure.
The others went back to doing what they were doing while Shane and RJ stayed back to continue conversing with the Dixon's on the terms and conditions of them staying in camp.
Shane stood off to the side with his arms crossed over his chest while he watched the Dixon's carefully.
Merle walked a bit closer to RJ as she watched the truck get parked. She felt an arm get slung over her shoulder, and her eyes moved to the redneck who was grinning as he watched the Ford get parked.
The woman shrugged his arm off, feigning disgust, and earning a chuckle from the older redneck.
"Yeah, my baby brother, huh?" RJ was confused. She wasn't sure if it was a question or a statement. Either way, she wasn't sure what he meant by that. Her eyebrows furrowed as her head slowly turned towards him.
"Shane!" Carl called from afar. All three of them turned towards the little boy. "Can you help me? I can't set up my cot." His face looked absolutely defeated, causing RJ to have to attempt to hide her laugh.
"Yeah, I'll be right there," Shane called back, he too having to hide his smile. "I'll be right back." RJ simply nodded as he ran off in Carl's direction.
RJ never really talked about life at home to anybody, so Merle was pretty much left in the dark about all this. All he knew was that she had a brother, a nephew, and that was pretty much it.
"That your brother?" Merle questioned, only receiving a head shake. Everything with Rick was still so raw, and she wasn't sure if she could really talk about it with anyone.
"He was the emergency leave." The older red neck concluded. RJ wasn't sure how, but for some reason Merle just always . . . knew. "Sorry to hear that, Riley." Her nose scrunched up at the name. She hadn't been called by her birth name in forever, the last time being the last time her mom got mad at her.
"I go by RJ for a reason." Her still monotonous voice made Merle smile. He would never admit it, but he missed that seemingly emotionless bitch.
Daryl made his way back to the two with his crossbow slung over his shoulder. His eyes traveled over the camp before landing back on his brother and RJ. He finally got her real name thanks to Carl, and he honestly wasn't surprised. He would've been more shocked if she had a name like Charolette.
"C'mon, we'll find a place where y'all can get settled."